The Gatekeeper
by Hidge
Summary: Oneshot set early in Season 6. The BAU gives JJ a going away party. A little fic in honour of JJ, and AJ Cook, the wonderful actress who has portrayed her for five amazing seasons. Please R&R!


**A/N: So I just really felt like writing something about JJ because, sadly, she's leaving us and she's given us a lot of great scenes and witty lines over the past five seasons. I got the idea for this one-shot while watching the special features of the season 2 DVDs when Andrew Wilder discusses JJ's character. I also got some ideas from listening to the lovely AJ Cook, and her opinions on JJ. **

**Being from a small town, I've always found JJ very easy to relate to and I will miss her a ridiculous amount. I hope that everyone, especially JJ fans, enjoy this little piece and hopefully the writers will give her a wonderful send off next season. :)**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Criminal Minds :(. If I did, well...things would be different. Lol.**

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_Rossi [referring to JJ]: Wow. We didn't have that ten years ago._

_Episode 3x06 – About Face_

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JJ escaped the commotion of the BAU bullpen by slipping into her office…well, what was once her office. Soon it would be someone else's office. Maybe it would belong to a rookie, someone fresh out of the academy; just like she had been when she had joined the BAU. She looked around the small room and couldn't believe how clean it was. Her office had always been an organized mess, as she liked to call it. Now mostly everything was packed away into boxes except for the desktop computer, office phone, and a few files. The bulletin board and shelves behind her desk were empty. Her framed university degrees and diploma from the FBI academy were taken off the walls. It was almost sad to see that everything that was hers from this office could fit into one box.

Her six years at the BAU could neatly fit into just one box.

She sat down in her chair and slipped the disc that Garcia had given her into the computer. Apparently the BAU had composed a little going away video to go along with her going away party that was currently going on. She had just needed a little break from being the center of attention so she decided to watch it now.

She smiled as the disc loaded and Morgan was the first person to appear. _"I'm supposed to say something about JJ?"_ He asked the person behind the camera, who she assumed was Garcia. _"Well JJ is tough as nails and smart as a whip. She reads people just as good as a profiler. She thinks for herself and isn't afraid to share her opinions. We've butted heads a few times, but that's life,"_ he said with a smile. JJ nodded in agreement at his statement. She could certainly think of a few incidents where she and Morgan had had a difference in opinion. The case in Georgia where Reid had been kidnapped was the first thing that she thought of. The conversation that she had had with him in Tobias Hankel's kitchen was one that she reflected on often. She had known in that moment that he blamed her for Reid's kidnapping, but she had also blamed herself. It wasn't something that she had ever held against Morgan.

When it came down to it, Morgan was an older brother who she loved to play sports and joke around with. The story that he had bought about why she was scared of the woods was something that he still brought up. He still hadn't gotten her back yet either. He chuckled, _"Strauss is gonna be hard pressed to find someone who is better at the job. We're all gonna have a hard time letting her go but what guy doesn't love to see JJ walk away?"_ She laughed loudly as Garcia reached out a manicured, colourful fingernail polished hand and swatted at Morgan's chest. _"What? It's true,"_ he argued. _"Anderson checks her out all the time! Will, if you see this, sorry man,"_ he added quietly.

"_On that note,"_ she heard Garcia declare before the camera interchanged hands and her cheerful face filled JJ's computer screen. _"Jayge,"_ she smiled widely, _"you know that you're my girl and always will be…" _Garcia stopped and wiped at her eyes. _"I said that I wouldn't cry!"_ She took a deep, shuddering breath before she continued. _"I'm really gonna miss working with you, beautiful. We've had some great times together in my office." _That was certainly true. The memory of Garcia frantically trying to find Prince William's phone number in the CIA database was one of her favourites. It had just reinforced how unique, hilarious, and quirky Garcia really was. They had spent numerous cases working together exclusively out of her office and in her first year with the BAU it was those cases that had formed the basis of her friendship with the technical analyst.

"_Hell, you even went into labour in my office!"_ JJ laughed. It hadn't been the ideal location to discover that she was giving birth but it fit her life to a tee. _"I'm going to visit you so much that you'll be sick of me," _Garcia promised with a sobbing laugh. _"I need to continue my duty as a fairy godmother."_ And she was a truly wonderful godmother to Henry. _"Love you blue eyes."_ Garcia blew the camera a kiss to end her tearful message. Garcia was so soft-hearted and cheerful, and she desperately tried to seek out the good in everyone and that was something that JJ would definitely miss seeing on a daily basis.

The screen changed from the image of her son's godmother to one of her son's godfather. _"Hey JJ,"_ Reid began timidly. _"I can't believe that you're leaving."_ He bit down on his bottom lip and JJ could tell that he was nervous. _"You've been a great friend to me and I'm still honoured that you chose me to play such an important role in Henry's life."_ She blinked back tears and inwardly scolded herself but she knew that if anyone could make her cry it was Reid. He was so sweet and still very naïve in many aspects. The job had forced him to change drastically from the shy, awkward, 24-year-old that had taken her to a Redskins game, but he still possessed the endearing qualities that he had back then. She was glad to see that everything that he had gone through with unsubs like Tobias Hankel and Owen Savage, Gideon leaving his life abruptly, getting shot, and the ever-present darkness surrounding his parents and childhood hadn't jaded him like she feared it would. She hoped that Reid would forever be able to retain his innocence.

He cleared his throat before he lowered his voice considerably_. "I usually don't deal with people leaving well but it's finally nice to be able to say a proper goodbye to someone, even when I know that you're not leaving me, just the BAU. I'm going to miss being called Spence at work," _he smiled bashfully. _"I'm just going to miss you. I hope that your decision will make you irrevocably happy because you deserve it." _

"Damn you Reid," JJ laughed to herself as she brushed her tearstained cheeks.

Luckily, Rossi showed his humorous side next and it stopped her from crying any further. _"The BAU is losing their best shot, and as much as Hotch likes to argue that it's him, we all know that it's JJ_,_"_ he laughed. _"She has a way with those vultures from the press that I've never seen before and she's so charming and persuasive that she can get us into any investigation that we want. She's an incredible agent and an incredible person."_ She had worked with the legendary David Rossi for almost three years now and had gotten to know him as a person but the fact that he was praising her was still a little overwhelming.

"_That day that you told me that I inspired you to join the Bureau is one of the proudest moments of my very long career."_ She remembered the smile on his face after she had revealed that to him but he had never said that to her before. That lecture at the Georgetown University bookstore really had changed her life. Before then she hadn't had a clue about what career she wanted to pursue. All she had known was that she wanted to make a difference.

"_Good luck with the rest of your life kid. You'll be missed around here."_ His real message to her was short, simple, and to the point, and it was so Rossi.

"_JJ,"_ Prentiss began laughing. _"I can't believe that you're leaving me alone in the field with all these men." _JJ laughed to herself; she knew that she would bring that point up because she consistently mentioned that it was nice to be out in the field with another woman. It was something that Prentiss hadn't experienced early on in her career with the FBI. _"They're going to drive me crazy. We're going to have to start bringing Garcia out on all of our cases."_

"_You're one of the best friends that I've ever had and I'm going to miss spending practically all of my time with you. I'll have to make even more time to visit you, Will, and Henry now,"_ she chuckled. Emily doted on Henry almost as much as Garcia did, even though JJ begged her not to at times. She was afraid that her son was going to grow up to be spoiled, but Emily was one of the most down-to-earth people that she had ever met. If Henry received that gift from her too, JJ would be happy. Ultimately, Emily Prentiss was one of the kindest and funniest girls that she had ever had the privilege of knowing. Emily had kept her from falling apart when Garcia had been in surgery after being shot and she also had the ability to make her laugh like no one else. She still laughed at the stunt Emily had pulled with that poor Brad guy that night at the bar. _"You are poised, confident, and beautiful. I know that you hate it when Morgan calls you FBI Barbie but you have to believe that girls across the country see you on TV and envision themselves doing your job one day. And,"_ she stressed with another laugh, _"we're both going to come back to the BAU one day, a long time from now, and see this strong, gorgeous blonde storming through the bullpen in heels with a determined look on her face and a ton of files in her arms."_ JJ smiled to herself. She really liked the thought of that. _"I love you and miss you already."_

She now knew that there was only one more person left to leave her a message and to be honest she was nervous about it. What was Hotch going to say about her? When she had started this job she had jokingly referred to herself as Hotch's sidekick. He was always the first person that she had to go to concerning a case and even though he was the BAU's Unit Chief, they made a lot of the team decisions together. Over the years, their working relationship had turned into a well oiled machine and they had grown closer as friends. She'd had conversations with Hotch that she would never have with anyone else. He was the one that she had chosen to confide in about her sister's suicide. He was the one that she had chosen to confide in about how growing up in a small town had affected her.

He appeared on the screen looking as professional and stoic as ever. _"JJ, it's been an honour and a pleasure to work with you for the past six years. You're a very impressive agent and an even more impressive young woman. I know the toll that this job has taken on you and I commend you for doing the one thing I couldn't, and that's putting your faith in the rest of us and allowing us to keep doing this job while you spend time with your family. Because family is everything,"_ he said solemnly. _"You'll always have a place here at the BAU but enjoy the time with your family. No one is ever going to be able to come in here and replace you on this team, you mean too much to all of us. I'll miss you."_

Then the computer screen went black.

She leaned back in her chair and released the breath that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. She hadn't expected Hotch to be so open and emotional since it wasn't a side of him that people really saw. He showed that side to her every now and then and it hadn't hit her before that not only was he a confidant for her; she was one for him as well. She knew that she would really miss the BAU's fearless leader.

She appreciated every word that each of them had said and the time and sincerity that they had put into this little parting gift brought her to tears; full blown tears that she couldn't stop. She knew that there would be days when she would miss this job, and knowing that she would be missed was little consolation.

She heard a light knock on her door and quickly brushed away her tears before raising her head to meet whoever was in her doorway. She smiled at the father of her son and her future husband. "Hey," she greeted softly.

"Are you okay?" Will asked her in concern. He could clearly see that the woman he loved had been crying.

"I'm fine," she laughed. "Just getting a little sentimental."

He smiled at her. "Well everyone is looking for ya. Something about a cake," he grinned.

"Oh God," she laughed again as she got up out of her chair and walked towards Will. "I hate being the center of attention." She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder for a moment of peace.

"I know," he replied as he soothingly rubbed her back. "They're only doing this because they love you."

She already knew that but hearing it said aloud by someone outside of their BAU bubble made her smile. "Okay, time to go back out there then," she chuckled.

Will grasped her hand and began to lead her out of the room. She paused in the doorway and couldn't help but look back into her office and see herself at her desk pouring over hundreds of files and talking on the phone at the same time. She had been the BAU's best, and most overworked, communications coordinator and liaison for six years. She had been the public face of every BAU investigation and the most comforting voice that a desperate detective could ever hear. Those six years had been some of the most tumultuous and depressing years of her life, but the BAU had also blessed her with the greatest friends, led her to the man of her dreams, and given her a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction that she knew she couldn't have found anywhere else. She had performed the duty of the gatekeeper for six years and now it was time to move on and allow someone else to experience what the BAU had to offer.

She flicked off the light before leaving and followed Will back to the bullpen.

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**A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read. Please drop a review! :)**


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